Category: Inspiring

Marketing Class Visits Florentine Perfume Company

Photo by the author

By Amanda Guido

FUA’s Marketing Mix class visited with a local perfume-maker to discover the marketing practices of a niche industry.

You can smell the rose-scented air even before reaching the street where AquaFlor is located. As you turn onto Borgo Santa Croce, the inviting smell only gets stronger until you find yourself in front of the 15th century Renaissance Palazzo where AquaFlor is located. In case you could not already tell from the image above, this is no ordinary perfume store. AquaFlor is a perfume showroom and laboratory outfitted with olfactory specialists. This is not just a store where you can purchase high quality perfumes, but an experience where you are educated on scents so that you can find the right one for you. Open seven days a week, AquaFlor is truly a hidden gem in the city center of Florence.

During my experience in this magical place, I was given a tour of the grounds from their communications strategies specialist. He explained to us that the perfume industry is growing rapidly, increasing 15% from 2014 to become a 39.2 billion dollar industry. He is taking advantage of this by making AquaFlor different from any other perfumery to create brand recognition and word of mouth advertising.

Clients can spend hours just browsing different scents with the help of experienced olfactory specialists, and create their own scent to take home.

The perfume showroom itself had such a unique aesthetic: classy, put together, and vintage. The first room has diffusers, used to give rooms in the home a pleasant scent. Next, our guide then took us to a room filled with pastel-colored soaps. These are very affordable and would make a great gift for loved ones back home. The third and final room on this floor was where the perfumes are kept. The price point for the perfumes is 140€, but this is a steal considering the quality of the product. Most other perfumes have a high concentration of alcohol and water whereas these have a significantly higher concentration of the actual scent for a longer lasting experience. Even testing the perfume is unique at AquaFlor. The pure scent is concentrated in beakers and a test tube is placed upside down in this scent. You simply smell the inside of the test tube which is meant to give a more accurate feel for what the perfume will smell like when it is worn. Most other retailers spray the perfume on a piece of paper, which is not effective for getting an accurate smell. I personally enjoyed how the rooms were split up by product. From a consumer perspective, this made it easier to shop.

Lastly, we visited the lower level lab. Our guide explained the scientific and chemical aspects of the production process and showed us how the perfumes were made. We also explored scent categories, and the experiential aspect of the visit is a great marketing tool. The Instagram account of AquaFlor is beautifully curated too. You can visit AquaFlor in Borgo Santa Croce 6 in Florence, as well as check out the company’s website.

 Did you know that an FUA alum is a part of the AquaFlor team? Watch this alumni video interview.

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Along the Lungomare in Livorno

Photo courtesy of FUA

By Steven Scaglione

Italy is famous for its food, but did you know that each region, and even more specifically, each city, has their own specialties? When in Italy make sure to try some of these typical dishes that you won’t be able to find back home. This week’s focus is on the Tuscan port town of Livorno.

On the second day of what was planned to be a nine-day bike tour, I finally reached Tuscany’s beautiful port city of Livorno. I had been riding for about four hours, with frayed nerves from sharing the road rather unevenly with trucks of various sizes. It felt nice to pop the kickstand and sit among the trees in Parco Pertini, one of Livorno’s few green spaces just outside the city center while I reflected on my simple priorities for today: find some food, then find the sea.

After checking into a bed-and-breakfast with some difficulty (this key is for the front door?), I was ready to explore the city. With my first priority in mind, I set out to find a 5&5 (cinque e cinque) sandwich: a popular Livornese street food specialty consisting of a savory chick pea flour “cake” topped with olive oil and black pepper then placed between flat schiaccia bread.

To find the best 5&5 around, I was directed by some Livornese locals to go to “da Gagarin,” a torteria near Livorno’s own Mercato Centrale. The building was confusingly nondescript, and I’m still not sure if it has a sign on its storefront or not. But the best advertising a restaurant can have is a line of customers leading down the block, and when I saw this, I knew I was in the right spot.

Edible treasures in tow, I set my sights on the sea, looking to watch the sunset as the waves crashed on the rocks. Two enormous cruise ships sat docked in the city’s port like man-made whales with waterslides and a few freighters sailed steadily on the horizon.

Passing behind the Aquarium of Livorno, the ground under my feet seemed to morph, the familiar gravel being replaced by a seaside checkerboard of black-and-white tiles – something straight out of “Alice in Wonderland.” What was happening? Were all those hours of biking getting to me? Maybe so, but my eyes weren’t failing; these tiles were just some of the thousands composing Livorno’s stunning lungomare, or boardwalk, near Terrazza Mascagni.

The sun was going down in a ball of orange flame, setting the sky ablaze in wispy waves of pink and purple. The freighters turned on their lights to blink their presence cautiously. I unwrapped my sandwich, eating it from the paper wrapping while sitting on the concrete railing of the lungomare and thought about my trip so far. Tomorrow I would start heading south, toward Grosseto and its vineyards along the way. But tonight, just for tonight, I would sit among these black-and-white tiles until dark, watching those blinking lights and listening to the sound of the waves.

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Il Doppio Bacio

By Christina Trupia 

It is Italian tradition for family and friends to kiss each other on each cheek as a greeting when saying hello or goodbye. If you look around the streets of Florence, you will see this salutation everywhere. Have you adopted this Italian custom or any others yet?

It is the simple gestures that hold a plethora of meanings between those who share them. You can see it between friends passing each other on the street while taking an afternoon stroll, in a restaurant amongst two friends meeting for a meal, or even those departing after a day spent with someone who was once a stranger.  Un doppio bacio, or a double kiss, customarily on the cheek, is a common gesture between those local to the region of the world that I now call home.

Mostly used among those who know each other such as family or close friends, I view this effortless, social gesture as a beautiful and welcoming practice. It is a sign of love and caring for those who have had an impact on your life at some point in time.

Imagine friends from university coming together after years of living distant lives, greeting each other with a double kiss on each cheek as a sign of the relationship they once shared. Perhaps you may see it shared within a family of grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews meeting for a celebration of a new life born into the family. It may even serve as a farewell gesture between a classroom of a small group of students after the completion of a course, or a guide ending their journey with the travelers they have come to know after a full day of touring and adventure in a new place.

It is an engaging tradition that means so much more than a simple handshake or an exchange of words. A small gesture with a heartfelt meaning, the double kiss symbolizes the genuine respect and sentiment we all have for one another.

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I Wish I Was There When: Piano Invented in Florence

By Lauren Miller

We’re thrilled to introduce our new blog sound bytes featuring original podcast content produced by the FUA Broadcasting New Media course! In the “I Wish I Was There When…” series, FUAers present about landmark moments for the city of Florence told firsthand. In this inaugural radio story,  we reveal how the first piano was invented in Florence in the 18th century by Bartolomeo Cristofori.

Music credit:
Table for Four
Written and performed by CrusaderBeach

International Women’s Day, Every Day

Detail from Judith Beheading Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi

By Madison Landau

In today’s society, there seems to be a holiday to celebrate just about anything. There’s a national holiday for Nutella, siblings, and even for French bulldogs.

Here in Italy we recently celebrated on March 8th an important holiday that won’t just be swept under the rug like the others; International Women’s Day was celebrated proudly by allowing free admission to state and municipal museums for women.

Even though Women’s Day is just once a year, you can make exploring female themes in the local culture a regular part of your daily routine. If you like exhibitions, for example, try to find special shows in your area that may focus on female artists or artists who focus on female sources of inspiration.

In Florence, the famed Uffizi Gallery Museum houses historic artists such as Artemisia Gentileschi, who is considered to be one of the most successful painters after the Caravaggio era. It’s important to not just see her artwork, but to know all that went behind it. Being an artist wasn’t easy back in the male-dominated Renaissance era, and being a female artist made recognition much more difficult.

Artemisia overcame such obstacles within her lifetime to achieve the fame she enjoys today, and for women across Italy to have the opportunity to see her artwork firsthand can prove to be a real inspiration for all. At the FUA campus, the Artemisia Room is dedicated to this important artist, and often hosts experiential learning students who collaborate on special projects related to videomaking, visual communication, and journalism.

To commemorate International Women’s Day as more than a “hallmark holiday” shows a great deal of respect to the women of not just Italy but internationally. During your studies and your daily life in Florence, seek to uncover the great as well as lesser-known women who have contributed to the artistic and civic culture of Florence and Tuscany.

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Put your Phone in your Pocket (and get lost!)

Photo by the author

By Madison Landau

Walking down the streets in an unknown city in a foreign country can seem very overwhelming, especially in Florence’s winding neighborhoods. A great rule of thumb is to let yourself get lost and put your phone away…in trying to find your way back home you might just discover something new.

When arriving in a new country, my first instinct is to take my phone out to see if I have cell service or Wi-Fi. Arriving in Florence for my study abroad semester at FUA was no different, and I held my phone in a death like grip for the first week of living here.

Even though I was provided with great maps of the city by FUA, I still felt as if my phone was my lifeline here in Florence and that without it I would get lost forever among the streets of the city center. Little did I know how much nicer and productive my first week being here would have been if I had just allowed myself to actually get lost.

I had my face buried in my phone, looking at my maps instead of actually taking in my surroundings and understanding the streets of Florence. I didn’t want to feel uncomfortable in this city, yet I was so new to my surroundings that I refused to listen to everyone around me encouraging me to get lost.

My presence here in Florence was artificial in a sense that I really didn’t focus and appreciate where I was until I put my phone away and learned the streets of Florence.

Don’t get me wrong, I was still capturing and recording my moments here in Florence as much as I could. But instead of having my maps app constantly open, I had my camera open, or the TripAdvisor app open.

The difference between being too consumed within your electronics and being just consumed enough is a very delicate and thin line. While you want to photograph and remember every moment you can while you’re here in Florence, it’s so important to make sure you’re actually appreciating where you are and not just focusing on surviving.

Trust me, put the phone away when possible. Don’t just survive day to day while you’re abroad; thrive as much as you can here. Grow as much as you can. Put yourself in a world that you’re not familiar with, and learn to be okay with it.

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Castello di Sammezzano

Photos courtesy of the author

By Steven Scaglione

Sometimes the well-traveled roads lead to unexpected finds, such as the Sammezzano Castle that is at the center of a movement to save a now-abandoned architectural gem.

After stepping out of a two-story charter bus in little Leccio, Italy, I took a breath and surveyed my surroundings. I was at The Mall, which is not a luxury shopping mall but a luxury shopping “destination,” specializing in high fashion brands like Salvatore Ferragamo, Burberry and – maybe more fittingly named – Billionaire started by Italian entrepreneur Flavio Briatore. Though the stores would not open for another 20 minutes, already a line of eager shoppers had neatly queued in front of the Gucci and Prada outlets, talking among themselves with an electric excitement. Soon they would be pulling green suits and bright dresses from the racks, but I would not be among them. I was headed for a different kind of treasure: Sammezzano Castle, only a short hike away.

The castle lies at the top of Sammezzano Park’s central hill, overlooking the town below like a silent, stoic patriarch. The park is home to many exotic species of plants, including the species of giant sequoias native to California. One of them, known as “Sequoia Gemella,” or the “Twin Sequoia” in English, is more than 8.4 meters (27 feet) in diameter and 50 meters (164 feet) tall.

From the outside, the castle’s Moorish-style architecture is a mix of Spanish, Arabic, and Oriental influences. Inside “La Sala dei Pavoni,” or “The Room of the Peacocks” in English, is arguably its most beautiful feature, with mosaics of every color stretching from floor to ceiling.

Unfortunately, the castle is currently closed to the public, falling victim to littering and vandalism. One organization, Save Sammezzano, has been fighting to preserve and protect the now abandoned castle and surrounding park. A petition by the group ended with over 30,000 signatures, but the castle is now privately owned, making it difficult for the municipal government institutions to safeguard it. The future for any restoration is uncertain, but the cause has found great support on social media. For now, the castle remains as it has been for many years, the hands on its clock stopped at 11:28, waiting for the day they might turn again.

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Lose Yourself, Find Your Way

Photo courtesy of FUA

By Abby Moran

Embrace the uncomfortable, enjoy the bewilderment of studying abroad.

Studying abroad may have been the most difficult thing i have ever done. 21 years of figuring life out, myself out and now a new culture is an incredible adventure. To step away from all that is familiar, to acknowledge that you will get lost mentally, emotionally, and physically but all of this will make you grow in ways you could never imagine is daunting. After a couple weeks in Florence, I am less afraid and regaining pieces of myself I thought would be lost back home forever.

Being in a situation where in order to save time, effort, and my roommate’s energy involves being outgoing, assertive, and confident in new situations has turned out to be the absolute best scenario. I love it. I love walking in the rain here. I love the puzzle of streets that could lead anywhere but often times lead me to the Duomo, that I’ve come to see as a safe haven. I love the different languages filling my ears. The uncertainty of who and what can be encountered around the next corner. Gucci, Prada, Valentino, your shop windows bring a spark of life to my longest walks. Even in the most unfamiliar places we find objects to cling to, people to relate to, and places to become accustomed to.

Home is truly where the heart is and when we open our hearts to the culture and lifestyle of others we are given a priceless gift. Be scared, intimidated, and get completely lost because it is there, in this state of initial uncertainty where we find our strength. Find your home away from home is what study abroad offers, despite the voice in your head that says “but it will be hard.” It’s often said that nothing good comes to those who wait, so let’s proactively reach for that which seems the most intimidating. Find your landmark, in my case the Duomo, and learn something about it instead of just passing through the piazza.

Don’t shoot for the stars, shoot for the Duomo.

The Great Synagogue of Florence

Image by Wikimedia Commons user Toksave
Image by Wikimedia Commons user Toksave

By Caroline Angelini

Though Italy is a predominantly Catholic country, its religious landscape represents other traditions as well. The relationship between the Jews and the city of Florence dates back hundreds of years, and this community is one of the focal points discussed during the FUA course “Shoah: The Holocaust in History.”

This course, taught in Fall 2016 by Valentina Nocentini, focuses on the history of the Jews, specifically in Italy, and how their treatment eventually led to the the Holocaust. To give her students a better grasp on exactly what happened to the Jews in Italy during the Holocaust, Prof. Nocentini brought her students to the Tempio Maggiore, or the Great Synagogue of Florence. Based on the experience and how it helped to contextualize the treatment of Jews in Italy, students wrote a reflective assignment as an outcome of the visit.

The Synagogue dating to 1882 is truly breathtaking. The intricate detail of the hand-painted walls, and the ornamentation of the women’s balcony were like nothing else that students had witnessed both in Florence and beyond. The mosaics and frescoes are reminiscent of Christian art, but have their own character that makes them unique to the Jewish culture of the Synagogue.

While the artistic ornamentation was magnificent, the mood that most students had while in the Synagogue shifted once they reached the museum. The Synagogue separates a portion of its space dedicated to the Florentine victims of the Holocaust. There are stone slabs with each victim’s name and videos depicting the lives that they carried out while being exploited during the Shoah. “It was something difficult to experience—the contrast from first seeing the beauty and grandeur of the Synagogue to then learning about how the Jews were treated during the Holocaust,” commented student Emma Dunleavy.

The visit to the Synagogue helped the students of the Shoah course gain a deeper understanding of the past lives of Jews in Florence. It also provided insight into how Florentine and Italian citizens in general aided those in need of protection especially during WWII, which gave students food for thought as they themselves experience daily the hospitality of a foreign host city with whom they must forge a new relationship, one day at a time.

To visit:
The synagogue is located in Via Farini 6, near the Sant’Ambrogio church. Details about visiting hours, synagogue history, and much more can be found on the website of the Jewish community of Florence – moked.it/jewishflorence

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